Toronto – Yariel Rodríguez made history in 2024 when he became the first Cuban-born pitcher to take the mound for the Blue Jays. While Rodríguez was an impact signing in February for $32 million, Kendry Rojas was a much more under-the-radar addition to the organization’s farm system when he signed for $215,000 in October 2020.
No pitcher to sign with a Major League organization from Ciego de Ávila, Cuba, has appeared in a big league game. Despite being still just 21 years old and yet to throw a pitch above High-A, Rojas is certainly on that track, having displayed a pair of above-average offerings that have allowed him to carve up lineups at the lower levels of the Minors when healthy.
“When healthy” being the operative phrase. A left shoulder ailment shut down Rojas for the majority of the spring, with over two months elapsing between in-game outings. But upon his return, the Blue Jays’ No. 11 prospect began to stack up strikeouts in bunches, accumulating at least nine punchouts in four of his final 10 starts, a stretch in which he pumped 69 percent of his offerings for strikes and held opposing batters to a 19 percent line-drive rate.
“I’ve improved on the command of my secondary pitches,” Rojas said via Fall League interpreter Analis Castro, as to what unlocked his dominant run to close out 2024. “I’m still working on that command to get better.”
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Rojas’ slider has long been his premier offspeed offering. An 82-84 mph bender that lands on the back foot of righties and dives away from lefties, some evaluators believe the pitch could play up even more if he combines it with a blossoming low-to-mid-90s four-seam fastball in shorter relief stints.
But when viewing his gains made and ability to limit walks (career 3.3 K/BB ratio) in totality, the southpaw has a decent-sized rope to continue proving his mettle for a rotation spot. The Jays are unique in the sense that six members of their Top 30 Prospects list are left-handed pitchers, tied for the most in all of baseball (Braves, Guardians, Padres, White Sox).
Courtesy: https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/